Gauguin, Paul (1848-1903)
Van Gogh peignant des tournesols (Van Gogh Painting Sunflowers)
1888
Oil on canvas, 73 x 91 cm
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Was Van Gogh really painting a vase of sunflowers when his friend Gauguin produced this portrait of him? No, he can’t have been: it was December and far too late in the year for sunflowers. But it’s quite probable that Van Gogh painted a copy of one of his own sunflower pictures around this time. The landscape in the background is also fictional: unlike Van Gogh, Gauguin liked to work from his imagination. They often argued about this. This painting refers to their disagreement.
Later, Van Gogh wrote about this portrait: ‘My face has lit up a lot since, but it was indeed me, extremely tired and charged with electricity as I was then.’ (VGM)
Compare:
Van Gogh, Vincent (1853-1890)
Sunflowers
1888
National Gallery, London
See also:
• Van Gogh, Vincent (1853-1890)